The civic Union contributions are the ones that are a complete conflict.

Council votes on whether or not to approve the union's wages and benefits contract increases and, miracle of miracles, the very folk that accepted union election funding think it's a good idea to ratify union increases at taxpayer expense.

I was listening to the talk show the other day and some guy came on wanting council to freeze staff wages.

Unionized wages cannot be "frozen" as long as there is a valid contract in place or even after the contract has expired and there is active negotiation toward a new one. Not legal and would be overturned by the LRB.

The only time that the taxpayers have a chance at "freezing wages" is when the unratified contract is given to council for their approval and wages can be frozen for future years.

Unfortunately, that discussion takes place behind closed doors, in camera, and we don't get to see the debate on what probably has the biggest impact on every taxpayer.

The public seems clueless how this process works yet they moan for years about annual staff wage increases after it's too late and can't be changed.

The last CUPE contract total wage increase of over 18% barely merited a mumble on this blog.

1. Disappointing turn out on the very level of gov't that has the most immediate and close to home impact on voters.

2. Incumbents are hard to beat. Name recognition is everything in politics ergo re-election of every rep.

3. In my opinion, there is a corelation between dollars spent and votes garnered. Setting aside ego, a candidate should ask him/herself am I receiving support because people understand and like the job I do or am I a successful advertiser and a mediocre politician? Nixon?

Wendy still puzzles me. I remember sitting at the sports council all-candidates meeting and there had been some difficult questions that there had been some excellent answers to. Wendy came rushing down the aisle during the break and nervously, and loudly, blurted to another person "I am in way over my head!"

If long boarding isn't illegal, which law abiding tax paying residents of the DNV are you speaking of? Are there now degrees of law abiding tax payers? Are you more important than any other law abiding, tax paying resident of the District because you hold a differing view?

It's like "death by cop" but it is "death by vehicle" and these people are really ruining the "good people's" lives by getting in their way.

Most important is that because the DNV has legalized their playing on our roads, they will arrive in our municipality (because they're banned everywhere else) and harass the people who live here and pay taxes.

And I suspect she didn’t include the cost for the advertorial that ran in the News on the first day of the campaign.... all about how wonderful her hair business is and what a fabulous community leader she has been and how we all shouldn’t be surprised if she runs for council because she is so committed and dedicated to our community.... I feel vomit rising in the back of my throat

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Names, characters, places and incidents portrayed on this website are either products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.